Violence and Cruelty

Essentially an action-packed thriller, Richard Connell's "The Most Dangerous Game" builds around explosions of violence. The violence of his malicious host, General Zaroff, initially shocks Rainsford, but as he fights to stay alive he becomes caught up in Zaroff's game. Zaroff attempts to justify his violence with "civilized" arguments. He poses as a modern rationalist and argues against "romantic ideas about the value of human life" and then scolds Rainsford for being "extraordinarily droll" in his response Zaroff continually defends his murderous desires as the sophisticated and rational extension of hunting animals.

Issues of violence and cruelty in "The Most Dangerous Game" exist not only on a literal level but on a symbolic level as well. As Connell directs the reader to sympathize with Rainsford, the reader feels what it is like to be a hunted animal. Zaroff shows off his animal heads and after describing...